


Sands of Time

by Malignant_Queen



Category: Bleach
Genre: Multi, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-05-12 22:36:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19238476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malignant_Queen/pseuds/Malignant_Queen
Summary: Ichigo had never really been much of a thinker. He’d always been more of a go-in-swinging kind of guy. It was a pain in the ass, having to think about every action he made, and what it was going to affect. Props of being in the past, he guessed.





	1. Back to the Start

Ichigo woke up to darkness. It would be disconcerting if it wasn’t so normal. He let himself breath for a few moments. In, out, in, out. He worked his fingers carefully, feeling the material beneath him. Soft sheets on a soft surface. He was in his bed. He swallowed. Ichigo reached out carefully with his reiatsu. He really hoped this worked… He took another shuddering breath when he felt three signatures nearby. Three signatures he hadn’t felt in… he didn’t know. He didn’t care. They were there. He breathed. Slowly. He wanted to cry. He couldn’t even tell her it worked. He took another moment to breath, to calm his racing heart, and glanced over at his clock. 4:13 am. He wondered what time would be considered reasonable to get up. It’s not like they’d had clocks for a good while. Or anything to really tell the time with. He wondered what it would be like to feel the sun on his skin again. He shuddered at the thought.

He didn’t go back to sleep. Couldn’t. His body wasn’t wired that way anymore. Once he was up, it was time to move. He forced himself to be still though. He didn’t have be like that anymore. Not yet, anyway… He shook his head. No thoughts like that. He was going to fix it. _Prevent_ it. None of them were going to live like that at any point if he could help it.

He waited until he could feel Yuzu up and bustling around before he got up. He swung his legs over the bed, let his feet sit on the cool floorboards for a few moments. Flexed his toes to get used to the feeling again. It had been mostly sand and rocky terrain for years now. No civilisation in Hueco Mundo. None that were friendly anyway. He shook his head again to clear it, stood up, and got dressed. He let himself sit idle again for a while after that. Who knew how long he would have that luxury, after all... His body thrummed with nervous energy, anxious to move on and get out of harm’s way. Staying too long in one place was a death sentence. They always found them. One way or another. They always came…

Ichigo only got up again when he felt his father on the move. Straight to his bedroom. His lips curved into a small smile. His door banged open, a body crashing through.

“Good morning, I _chi_ – ???” His father’s outburst cut into a startled squeak when Ichigo caught him mid lunge, scooping him up, arms around his waist and holding on. His father scrambled for purchase, ending up with his legs wrapped around Ichigo’s chest and his arms around his head.

“Ichigo???” His father questioned confusedly, completely unused to this response. Ichigo didn’t bother answering. He let himself bask in the warmth for a moment, holding onto the warm weight of his father. Then he started moving, taking them both downstairs.

He dropped his father into a chair at the table, ruffled a confused-looking Karin’s hair, and placed a kiss on Yuzu’s head as he entered the kitchen to grab some juice.

“Ichi-nii?” Karin said, her tone bordering on nervous. Ichigo threw her an apologetic smile, rubbing the back on his neck.

“Ah, sorry. I just –” His smile turned tight, and he ducked his head to hide the no doubt haunted look in his eyes. God, it had been so long… “I had a really bad dream, is all…” His voice didn’t wobble. He wondered if that should concern him. Thin arms wrapped around his waist. He looked down in surprise. Yuzu, his adorable little ray of sunshine sister, was attached to his waist like a particularly stubborn barnacle. She stared up at him, eyes wet with unshed tears.

“Are you okay?” She croaked. God, those eyes were going to kill him. He twisted carefully in her arms, wrapped his own around her shoulders. He hummed for a moment, and let a warm smile tilt his lips.

“I am now.” He said. For the first time in… Ichigo didn’t even _know_ how long, it felt honest. She gave him a watery smile, loosening her arms a bit so he could escape, but didn’t actually let go. Ichigo let himself hold on for another few moments. Just a few more wouldn’t hurt… He never paid them the attention they deserved anyway. He found that out too late… He gave himself another mental shake. It wouldn’t do to dwell on the past. Or, in this case, the future. He dropped another kiss on her forehead, and let his arms slide back to his sides.

“It’s gonna burn.” He said simply, glancing over to the stove. Yuzu yelped lightly, whipping back around to her handiwork just in time to save it. He quickly poured his juice, taking a sip as he went to sit down. He ruffled Karin’s hair again as he passed, and she let him. His father was giving him a strange look, but Ichigo, for once, couldn’t read it. He took another sip of his juice, and tried to mentally tally where he was in the timeline.

It couldn’t be that far, because he couldn’t feel Kon in the house. He could be at Urahara’s though… No. Ichigo could feel it. He wasn’t a Shinigami yet. Or Visored. Whatever the hell he was. Or wasn’t, he supposed. Not yet anyway, because he still had all his reiatsu. Odd… He felt lankier than he should. His hair was dropping into his eyes as well, and he remembers not having it that long until he was slightly older… God, this was confusing. He stood up again, and his father’s eyes narrowed slightly. Ichigo startled a bit.

“Bathroom…?” He said. Isshin blinked at him, and the look was gone. Ichigo rubbed his neck again, and headed up. That was weird.

Ichigo stared at his face in the mirror. Okay, definitely older than he should be. He was at least seventeen, but he wasn’t a Shinigami/Visored/Quincy/ _whatever_ yet, and he definitely hadn’t lost his powers yet, either. Hmm… maybe Urahara’s theory about alternate realities was more on the nose than he had thought. Rukia hadn’t shown up in this timeline. Not yet, at the very least. He wondered how much that would change things, if at all. He slid careful fingers over the too-smooth skin of his jaw. He hadn’t been properly clean-shaven in _years_. He liked it better. He sighed, flushed the toilet, washed his hands, and headed back downstairs for breakfast with his family. _Shit_ , did he have school today? His sisters hadn’t been dressed for school, so hopefully it was the weekend. God, that was going to be the _worst_. He’d won, what, three wars? Yet he still had to go to school. Then again… He shook his head.

He dropped into his seat right as Yuzu started putting food down. He gave her a grateful smile, and she absolutely _beamed_ at him. It was a little blinding, actually. Ichigo blinked the flowers out of his eyes, and dug in. God, it had been such a long time since he’d had proper food. The things he’d stooped to to survive in Hueco Mundo… He didn’t even want to think about it. Horrors of war, and all that jazz. He idly wondered how in the hell he was supposed to act. He was seventeen-ish, right? Teenagers were bound to mood-swings and shit, right? Not to mention these were his “formative years” as Isshin so liked to say, so he had a right to be a little hormonal and edgy, right? He’d always gotten away with it before… unfortunately, it was becoming increasingly obvious that this timeline was… _different_. It was only a matter of time before he found out _how_ different, but it might not be time Ichigo had. Rukia might be dead already…

The rice felt like ash in his mouth at the thought. He had a lot of work to do… First, he focussed on getting through breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm kind of slow in the writing department atm so this is probably going to be a slow update kind of deal.


	2. First Encounters

Breakfast was quiet. Almost too quiet, really, but Ichigo took the chance to simply bask in his family’s presence. They were here. They were alive. They were _safe_. For now, at the very least. He could figure the details out later. He helped stack the dishes after everyone was done. Helped Karin wash up, dry, and put everything away again. He scuffed her on her the head, and she bumped into him playfully. He chuckled. Damn… It’d been a while since he’d made that sound… Even with Urahara – he bit down the emotion that surged with the thought of him. It was fine. _He_ was fine. Ichigo could feel his reiatsu in the shop. He shivered, and Karin bumped him again, lighter this time. He smiled at her, grateful.

After they were done, Ichigo headed upstairs. Maybe he could hang out his window for a few hours and soak up the sun. Yeah, that sounded like a damn good idea… It took him a moment to realise Isshin was following him up, but it wasn’t until he followed Ichigo into his room that he actually acknowledged him.

“Hey, you need something?” He asked casually. His father eyed him carefully. What the hell? Ichigo frowned, opened his mouth to ask again.

“You,” Isshin said, and _damn_ , Ichigo had a really bad feeling about this. Isshin had been able to tell Kon wasn’t him, maybe he could tell Ichigo wasn’t Ichigo. Which sounded _really_ god damn weird. “You look like my son, act like my son, _feel_ like my son. You haven’t shown any kind of hostility to me or the girls. However, my Ichigo doesn’t even know what reiatsu _is_ , let alone how to supress it.”

Ichigo blinked. Then again. Ah. Ah _fuck_. He’d completely forgotten… It had become second nature to him, like breathing. Hide your reiatsu or they’ll come even faster. Hide it or you’ll _die_ faster. It had been his fault… too many times… Ichigo blew out a breath, tried letting out his reiatsu as much as his old self would have. It billowed around him like a cloud. Isshin’s eyes narrowed further. He seemed – conflicted. He could _feel_ it was Ichigo, but he knew something was wrong. Ichigo scrubbed the back of his head. Isshin wouldn’t let Ichigo brush this off. Unfortunately, Ichigo was still horrendous at bullshitting. How much could he get away with telling him without fucking things up…?

“Would you believe me, if I said I was from the future…?” He said slowly. Isshin stared at him levelly.

“Prove it.” He said. Almost an order. Ichigo blew out a breath, mulled it over for a moment.

“You’re a Shinigami, Mom was a Quincy.” Isshin’s eyes flew open, wide and unbelieving. “She got infected by a hollow, too. One of Aizen’s fucked up experiments. Yeah, I know about him too. All about him. The hollow transferred to me, by the way.” Isshin winced, even as Ichigo gave a casual shrug. “Don’t worry about it. He’s not completely horrible once you get to know him.” He heard an echo of laughter inside his mind, and smiled lightly.

“There are currently three Shinigami in this town, besides you: Urahara Kisuke, Shihouin Yoruichi, and Tsukabishi Tessai. There are also two Quincy’s: Ishida Ryuuken, and Ishida Uruyu.”

“That’s right.” Isshin said faintly, emotion warring on his face. “But none of that proves you’re from the future. Anyone with a reasonable amount of skills could figure all that out. Tell me something that you’d only know if you really were from the future.”

Ichigo sighed, tilting his head back for a moment. He didn’t want to remember things… Especially stuff like this. He closed his eyes for a moment, let his father’s reiatsu wash over his senses. He leaned forward, and whispered the words he’d said to Ichigo before he died. He’d been planning them for a long time, he’d said. Isshin’s eyes widened again, and then slid closed.

“I see…” He said, keeping his voice light. He opened his eyes again, and the solemn light in them bit at Ichigo. “Will you tell me about it?” Ichigo shook his head, a little desperately. Isshin’s face softened. He nodded. They stood there in silence for a long moment. Isshin was eyeing him up and down, getting a feel for his new child. Or trying to read him. Ichigo was trying hard not to think. Not to _remember_. He was back, things were going to be different. Different… He licked his lips. Tried to sought through his words. If he revealed too much, things might change for the worse. That’s what Yoruichi had said, anyway…

“Something should have happened by now. A hollow followed me home and attacked me.” The whole reason he’d gained his powers in the first place. Isshin looked completely baffled.

“That’s impossible, I had Urahara put Kido barriers all over the house. Nothing could possibly trace your reiatsu here.” He said confidently. And _damn_ , Ichigo wished _his_ Isshin had thought of that. He scrubbed his head again. Well… that explained why he wasn’t a Shinigami yet. The whole reason he’d gotten his powers in the first place was because that hollow had followed him home, and now it couldn’t happen. Great, now he had to _think_ about things. How was he going to get into Soul Society now? It wasn’t like he could just go around telling everyone he was from the future… He gave an aggravated sigh and tugged at his hair. Isshin was still sombre, and it was starting to wear on his nerves. God, he never thought he’d wish for Isshin’s theatrics…

“What now?” Isshin asked after another moment of silence. Ichigo struggled for moment. What now indeed…

“I think… I’m gonna go for a walk. I need some fresh air.” Nothing but desert sand and night for so goddamn long… He was almost desperate to see the sun again. To feel a gentle breeze on his skin that didn’t signal an oncoming sandstorm, or an attack. He shuddered. Yeah, fresh air sounded damn good. Isshin nodded slowly, his shoulders finally releasing some of their tension.

Ichigo blew out a breath as his father finally left. He quickly grabbed a jacket, and went back downstairs, heading straight for the door.

“Are you going out?” Yuzu asked.

“Yeah, just going for a walk.” Ichigo said, shuffling closer to the door. Yuzu smiled at him and quickly grabbed a piece of paper from her notepad.

“In that case, can you grab some things from the store?”

“Yeah, sure.” He said, plucking the paper from her waiting fingers. She smiled lightly. Ichigo put his shoes on, and he was about to leave but… Yuzu was staring up at him with puffed cheeks, her head tilted slightly forward like she was expecting something. Oh. Ichigo barely contained the embarrassed smile, swooping down to place another kiss on her head. She beamed at him.

“I’m off.” He said, eyes warm as he happily fell back into an old rhythm.

“Take care!” She called after him, waving eagerly. He gave a small wave of his own, closed the door behind him, and paused to take a breath. This was it. He breathed in deeply, feeling the crisp morning air in his lungs. He almost groaned. It was so good. The sun wasn’t hitting him yet, the eaves shading him. He trembled lightly. It was so bright out… He took a step forward. Then another. And another until bright light hit his face. For a moment, he couldn’t see. And he _revelled_ in it. He let himself stop to breath. It was _warm_. Ichigo almost groaned, turning his face this way and that to feel the sun on his skin again. It felt _so damn good_ … He let his eyes slip open, blinked a few times to let them adjust.

He started moving. Just a few steps at first. Moving into a walk, then a slow jog, and then just breaking out into a run. He watched the houses rush by. Felt the concrete beneath his feet. The wind whipping his face, and the sun warming his back. He laughed, breathless and free. This was Karakura. This was his town. This was his _home_. He was back. He started picking out houses he knew. The old lady with ten cats and back trouble. The young man with a penchant for breaking his glasses. The lady who had so many different plants littering her fence that he was surprised her house wasn’t overgrown. He spotted the lamppost with the young girl’s ghost, and the corner store he used to get Karin and Yuzu ice-cream from in the summer. He wondered if they could do that again…

He slowed down a little when he realised his feet were taking him down the familiar path to a certain candy shop. His heart throbbed, a little painfully. He couldn’t go there. Not yet. They wouldn’t recognise him. The thought hurt more than he realised it would. He slowed himself down to a walk again, letting his lungs take in the much needed air. He’d probably looked like a crazy person… Running through town laughing, a grin splitting his face.

A familiar flash of black entered his peripheral vision. A black cat trotted along the nearby fence. Ichigo stopped and stared at her. She stopped and stared at him.

“Sup.” He said intelligently. She blinked at him, and he imagined her quirking a brow in amusement. Her tail flicked, once, twice. She cocked her head. Was he doing something weird again? Other than staring obnoxiously at a cat he just greeted. Okay, yeah, he was being weird… He ducked his head and rubbed his neck, a light flush working its way onto his cheeks. He took the couple of steps to the fence, bringing her up to eye level. Her ears flicked in interest, but she didn’t move away. Ichigo slowly raised his hand.

“Can I pat you?” He asked quietly, inching his hand closer. She eyed his hand thoughtfully, tilted her head. Ichigo gently pushed his fingers across her skull, right between her ears. Her ears flicked again, but she still didn’t move. Gaining confidence, Ichigo ran his fingers across her head again, and then down her back. She arched into the touch, so Ichigo did it again, a little firmer. For a moment, he simply let himself bask in the situation. Yoruichi’s supple fur beneath his fingers, her reiatsu fluttering against his senses. He breathed out a sigh. It wouldn’t hurt to talk right? People spoke to animals all the time. As long as he didn’t say anything damning, it shouldn’t matter…

“Do you have a home? Nah… you’re too pretty _not_ to have one.” The smug look was _incredible_. Ichigo lips quirked in a smile. “Bet you get spoiled rotten, don’t you?” He continued, fingers gliding down her back once again. She looked rather haughty at that. Ichigo knew it to be true, so he understood the sentiment. He smiled lightly, giving her ears a light scratch. She kept an eye pinned to him, even as she pushed a little further into his fingers. After another moment, she shook her head free, obviously done letting him pet her. She shook herself out, gave him a long look, and then continued on her way. Ichigo’s heart panged a little at the casual dismissal, but he understood. She didn’t know him. Honestly, he should be surprised she let him pat her at all. Ichigo shook his head. He had shopping to do.

Walking through the shopping district was an incredible feeling. People milling about, stranger’s passing by, the occasional spot of chatter. Ichigo smiled lightly as he headed down the street. He let his eyes wander. It had been a long time since he’d been here. It wouldn’t hurt to soak it up a little. He was coming up to a crossing, and he let his eyes drift across the street. A woman turned, her eyes widened.

“Look out!” She screamed. Ichigo took the remaining step around the corner, the street coming fully into view. It took him about two seconds to register the situation. Ururu, crouched down on the road, picking up a kitten. A car, speeding down the road. The driver was fiddling with something. His eyes weren’t on the road.

Ichigo lurched forward. He closed the distance instantly. Ururu looked surprised, briefly, as he scooped her up. He twisted slightly, kicking off the ground towards the opposite footpath. Except he’d kicked too hard, put a little reiatsu into the movement, and now he was probably going to hit the goddamn _wall_. The car sailed past. Ichigo grit his teeth, readying himself for the impact of the wall. _Thud_. Ichigo blinked, even as the soft thing behind him fell back slightly. He turned, and his heart stopped. Familiar grey eyes stared down at him.

Urahara’s eyes quickly flicked down to the girl in his arms. Ururu had her head buried in his chest, one hand clinging to his shirt, and the other wrapped around a small kitten. He dropped a hand on her head. She jolted, looking up at him in alarm. Urahara smiled at her gently.

“Are you alright, Ururu?” He asked softly. She nodded her head firmly, and Ichigo loosened his grip, letting her sit a little further up. The kitten in her arms mewed softly. Ururu smiled, giving it a light scratch on the nose, before getting out of Ichigo’s lap entirely and kneeling down next to him. Ichigo felt a hand on his shoulder. He tilted his head back again, only to meet Urahara’s gaze.

“How about you?” He asked.

“Huh?” Ichigo said intelligently. A flash of amusement flittered through grey.

“Are you alright?” Urahara repeated. Ichigo felt a flush creep onto his face. He was vividly aware that his back was still pressed into Urahara’s chest. Ichigo nodded. A little too quickly.

“Ah, yeah, I’m fine.” He said stiltedly, following Ururu’s example and getting the hell out of Urahara’s lap before he got too comfortable. His cheeks were on fire… Urahara gave him a kind smile and stood up.

“Well, I thank you kindly for saving Ururu.” He said, dipping his head. Ichigo immediately waved him off. It had been _ages_ since he’d seen Urahara anything resembling polite… It was weird, and uncomfortable, and it made his heart squeeze in his chest.

“I would’ve done the same for anyone.” Probably. “Everyone’s fine, so… don’t worry about it.” He said quickly, hand still out in a placating gesture. Urahara dipped his head again, and took a step back. He still had a smile plastered to his face, but his eyes were guarded, wary. He held his cane slightly behind him. Ichigo immediately knew why. Benihime was _screaming_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am honestly not 100% sure I'm using the terms reiryoku and reiatsu right.


	3. Status Quo

Urahara looked puzzled, and wary. Ichigo understood that. What he _didn’t_ understand, was why Benihime was screaming at him. She shouldn’t recognise him… nor should she consider him a threat. She kept screaming. It was an angry sound, filled with confusion and an eager desire for _blood_. Most likely Ichigo’s. That still begged the question of _why_?

“Have we…” Urahara started, eyeing him up and down. He gave Ichigo a fake smile. “Have we met before?” Ichigo blinked dumbly. Maybe he should have asked Isshin a few more questions before he left… No, Urahara was fishing. Trying to figure out what was going on the same way Ichigo was. If he slipped up now, he could _seriously_ screw things up. Ichigo squinted at him a bit, looking him up and down, and generally trying to see if he could “remember” him. God, why was he such an outrageous liar?!

“Uh… I think I’d remember if I met someone like you before.” _Shit_ , had he just called him weird? He’d just called him weird. He’d been going for a bit flirty, cos _hey_ , Urahara was a good-looking guy, but no, he’d inadvertently insulted the poor guy. Oh well, not like he didn’t deserve it. Urahara merely hummed, a considering sound, and continued to watch him.

A loud _mew_ startled Ichigo into looking down. Ururu was still on the ground, but now the kitten was trying to climb her like a tree. It wasn’t going too well for the poor thing. The kitten clung to Ururu’s hair, little legs dangling and kicking for purchase while Ururu held her hands beneath it in case it fell.

“Ah… little kitty, don’t do that.” She said anxiously, one eye closed in discomfort as she shifted her hands to properly accommodate the struggling creature. Ichigo smiled softly. It was impossible not to. He crouched down next to her and started detangling the kitten from her hair. It mewed pathetically, but eventually relented it’s hold. It curled up in his palms, shivering gently. It barely filled his hands… He carefully handed it back to Ururu. She smiled up at him, soft and shy. His eyes crinkled at the sight. It was an automatic movement, reaching out and patting her head. One he almost regretted. Urahara stiffened almost imperceptibly beside him. Ururu, on the other hand, seemed impossibly pleased. He let himself indulge in the action a moment longer.

When Ichigo stood up again, Benihime had quieted down to a confused warble. Urahara still didn’t look particularly comfortable, but he also didn’t seem like he was going to lop Ichigo’s head off if he so much as twitched in the wrong direction, either. Well… it was a start, he guessed. Ichigo aimed a sheepish smile in his direction.

“Well, I hope the rest of your day is uneventful.” He said, ducking his head. It was a pity… that he couldn’t stay with him longer. Urahara’s fan snapped out with it’s usual exuberance. His eyes alight with mischief.

“Oh? If it was completely uneventful it would be boring though~!” Ichigo chuckled lightly, his mouth tilting back up into a warm smile. _That_. That was all Urahara.

“Yeah. I guess it would be.” He said. He turned easily, waving over his shoulder as he left, and wondered when he’d be able to see them next. It would be nice… once everything was finally over, and he could simply bask in their company again. Ichigo smiled lightly, easily following the path back home.

He came to a pause just in front of the clinic. _Shit_. He’d forgotten Yuzu’s shopping. Ichigo sighed, staring up at the bright blue sky. Not like it was a hardship to stay out a little longer. He stretched, arms high into the sky, and headed back the way he came, basking in the warm light of the sun.

~ – ~

Urahara followed him around for a full week after the shopping incident. Ichigo would have thought it was funny, if it wasn’t mildly inconvenient. He was trying to figure out how to bait a hollow, god dammit! With Urahara trailing after him, he had to be careful not to be suspicious. The last thing he needed was for Urahara to barrage him with questions. If he didn’t straight up attack him, anyway… It was bad enough that _Isshin_ knew he was from the future. At least Ichigo could be fairly certain he wouldn’t try to affect anything. Not without consulting Ichigo first, anyway. Hopefully…

Ichigo sighed deeply, feeling Rukia take down another hollow almost as soon as it appeared. She was annoyingly good at her job. It was a good thing, of course. Rukia being good at taking down hollows kept Karakura safe. Unfortunately, it also put a dent in Ichigo’s plan to get his Shinigami powers like he had last time. No hollow attack meant no Ichigo in danger, which meant no powers for him. Maybe he’d have to start thinking about other ways to get his powers… Wouldn’t that be the _epitome_ of suspicious though? Ichigo growled lightly under his breath, tugging at his hair in frustration. Why was this so _hard_? He shifted his bag on his shoulder, feet carrying him through the school gates.

He tried to tell himself it was just like any other day. Clotheslining Keigo in greeting, proper greetings for Mizuiro, Chad and Tatsuki next, and occasionally even Inoue. Sitting in a chair and listening. He should be listening to his teacher, he knew. Instead, he listened to everything else. He listened to people shift in their seats, listened to them whisper and stifle giggles. He listened to the wind blow threw the trees, and the sound of distant hollows. Cars, birds, a quiet sneeze. He tried to stop tapping his pencil to the restless drumming of his heart. He picked it back up again just as quick.

He tried to tell himself it was normal. Normal to feel frustrated. Normal to feel restless. Normal to feel _trapped_. He heard the distant murmurs of his soul, clawing to get to the surface. _Too long_. It was taking _too long_. He wanted his powers back. _Desperately_. It felt _wrong_ not to have them thrumming under his skin, even with his reiryoku at full strength. He wanted to go to Soul Society, too. Wanted to beat Aizen into oblivion, take the Hōgyoku and _destroy it_ before it became the disaster he knew it would.

Ichigo tapped his pencil in a mindless rhythm against his thigh. This was taking too long. And he didn’t know how much time he had…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, and how short it is! Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed and left Kudos, it really means a lot!


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